Good-bye 9th Grade Center p. 4
Action pictures p. 14 Creek Volleyball P. 27
March 2009- Issue 4
Senior Scavenger Hunt P. 9
2305 East Main, League City, TX 77573
7 classes a day, 5 times a week, all next year
Allie Hinga
Many, however, are concerned about the impact of the new schedule. While block scheduling gave students the opportunity to earn 32 credits, the new schedule will allow only 28 credits. Some students and teachers are concerned that this will affect enrollment in electives, especially with increasing graduation requirements. The new 26-credit graduation requirement includes the 4x4 plan, which requires students to take four years of math and science. Students will only have room for three elective classes each year rather than the four they have now Several teachers are concerned that the decreased class time each day will not allow their students enough time to work, including science and elective teachers. Ms. Lienhart, an art teacher at Creek, said that she is concerned about the amount of time her students will have to work. “A fifty minute class with 20 students leaves 2.5 minutes per student. That doesn’t count the time it takes to put up supplies and clean up. But I’ll do the best that I can,” she said. Many are concerned that that they will not be able to take as many electives. Mr. Bockart, Creek’s head principal, said that he definitely sees the possibility that electives could be impacted. “We have some really strong elective programs on our campus that have been built over Jordan Little time, and we In the past six don’t want months, CCISD to see has saved a total of them $743,939.68 through energy management. The plan to start conserving energy needed time and commitment. S t e v e n Gremillion, CCISD’s energy manager, is the man behind the
Creek will undergo transitions next year, the most significant is the switch from block scheduling to a seven period day. Many at Creek have some concerns about the new schedule, as it will require students to change the way they plan their classes and will require teachers to make changes in curriculum. The transition began last year when the school board released new parameters stating that students in extracurricular activities could not be double blocked. The issue arose because UIL guidelines would only allow athletics classes to practice only 60 minutes a day, and the rest of the time in the class would be spent in study hall. There was some concern that these students were not spending enough time in academic classes, and so the new parameters were released. The new guidelines forced Creek to determine a new schedule so that students who would no longer be double blocked could still meet in their elective classes every day. Initially, an AB8 schedule was adopted, in which students would spend four days of the week on a block schedule, then meet with all classes on one day. Many parents and teachers were upset by the proposed schedule because they felt that the 30-35 minute classes that would occur on an eight-class day wouldn’t allow for enough instructional time. During this debate, Dr. Greg Smith became the Superintendent of CCISD. He felt that the AB8 schedule was unworkable, and so suggested that all schools switch to a seven period schedule. This policy was approved, and schools on block scheduling, like Creek, were given this school year as a transition year so they would have time to prepare for the changes. Next year the new schedule will be implemented at Creek. Students will be enrolled in seven classes each semester, instead of eight. Each class will meet every day for 50-55 minutes. There are many advantages to switching to a seven period day. Students will meet with all of their teachers every day and will save the district $1.5 million because it requires fewer teachers, since they will be teaching six out of seven classes instead of six out of eight. It will work well for motion. students who transfer to House Bill Creek from other areas, 3693 provides rules as most other schools use that schools must follow if such a schedule, easing the superintendent so chooses. Its the transition for these first stipulation states that schools i n transfer students. Also, cities must save 5% in their e n e r g y students will actually consumption for the following 6 years. To meet this gain more time in their requirement, Mr. Gremillion was hired in September non-elective courses of 2007. His dedication to energy conservation with the new schedule. lies in his concern for the future. “Eventually “It increases the the low hanging fruit will be gone. However, by amount of time that utilizing advanced techniques and adopting new you spend in each class technologies, we give ourselves a taller ladder.” for the whole year. We’ll Mr. Gremillion first began to raise energy gain back something like awareness through staff meetings and training. In three weeks of time per order to make the plan to save energy achievable, year,” Mr. Fontenot, Creek’s he and his team in the Maintenance and Operations AP English III teacher, said. department began to look for low cost projects.
h
li e
CC
HS
sa ve s
w
negatively impacted,” he said. Other teachers have expressed that while some students may be legitimately concerned about their elective classes, the old schedule had them spending too much time in these classes and not enough time in academic classes. They also feel that some students weren’t taking advantage of their increased credit opportunities, pointing out the number of students taking early release or late arrival. Dr. Smith doesn’t believe that the transition will affect elective programs too significantly, but students will need to make careful choices when selecting their courses. Mr. Bockart feels that while students will do homework for more classes each night, t h e i r total
amount of work may not necessarily increase, because teachers will also need to change their daily curriculum to work with the shorter class periods.Though Creek students will see a change in their schedules next year, seven period days have been implemented before at Creek. The school made the transition to block scheduling three years earlier from eight period days, and both Mr. Bockart and Dr. Smith believe it will be able to make the transition back. “Rest assured that this is not a brand new schedule,” Dr. Smith said. “It is being used in many high schools throughout the state and I appreciate [everyone’s] cooperation.”
N E E
GR
Ve n d i n g machines were re-evaluated for their effectiveness and replaced. Computers were examined for their power management. Exit signs were deemed energy wasters and were replaced with LED signs that will last for 25 years. Last summer, Mr. Gremillion began to research ways to operate school buildings separately to prevent unnecessary wasted energy. Ghost meters represent areas that are still using power but are not occupied. The old Ag barn, no longer in use, was cut off from its power source. Clear Creek High School was the leader in school savings with a total of $3,218.63, due largely in part to the pony chiller. After Creek was remodeled, two large chillers were installed to cool the air throughout the entire building. To prevent wasted energy, Mr. Gremillion introduced the small pony chiller. The pony chiller saves energy by only supplying cooler air to the areas of the school that need it at a given time. Stewart and Ross Elementary lead the primary schools with the most savings. The State Energy Conservation Office estimated that 25% of energy wasted in schools comes from not turning off lights. SECO has helped the elementary students become motivated to save energy through their program, W a t t Wa t c h e r s . Classrooms that turn off their lights are rewarded with a thankyou note. The elementary school that saved the most, Ross, won the privilege to fly the Watt Watchers flag. Through his own invention, Mr. Gremillion created a Power Bike, a bike hooked up to a generator to teach elementary kids how much power light bulbs use. Whether it
g n i o g
be speaking to Clear Brook Intermediate or demonstrating the Power Bike to elementary kids, Mr. Gremillion is very dedicated to getting kids involved with saving energy. He is sure that reaching the students is the key to future success. Any effort made to save e n e rg y counts. Recently, Student Council has made an effort to raise awareness of energy needs in the classroom. Simone Nagle, the chair of N.E.E.D., StuCo’s energy and environment committee helped place signs on light switches around campus reminding staff to turn off the lights. Simone is clear about her motives for Creek, “Our goal is to inspire people to care about the environment.” The money each school earns will serve educational purposes. “Ultimately every dollar unnecessarily spent on energy is a dollar wasted for education,” states Mr. Gremillion. With continued support from staff, students, and the district, Mr. Gremillion and his team in the Maintenance and Operations department will continue to raise awareness, save money, and establish an energy-efficient district. For those interested in helping C r e e k become m o r e energyfriendly, please contact Steven Gremillion, Student Council or the Environmental Club.
Photo by Amanda Compton